Alumni Film Screening

With an artistic canvas that knows no bounds, Reid has orchestrated a symphony of development and production, birthing an exceptional array of independently financed films that have found their way to global acclaim through triumphant worldwide distribution deals. Among these gems, the radiant jewel of independent cinema, Kill the Irishman stands as a testament to his ability to craft stories that resonate across cultures and continents.

Reid's brilliance radiates across a panorama of expertise, encompassing the realms of intellectual property creation and acquisition, story research and development, production strategy, marketing, and film distribution. A wellspring of resourcefulness and a beacon of exceptional leadership, he navigates the orchestration of multiple projects within the confines of demanding timelines, all while exuding an unwavering commitment to fiscal responsibility.

In the complex ballet of negotiation, Reid emerges as a virtuoso, orchestrating intricate joint venture agreements, talent contracts, and film distribution pacts with a finesse that borders on artistry. His stewardship encompasses budgets that span the gamut, from the discreet to the grandiose — a testament to his remarkable versatility and unmatched proficiency.

The embodiment of innovation and entrepreneurial fervor, Reid infuses his creations with a dynamism that sets them apart. His hallmark lies in his innate ability to weave captivating narratives into the fabric of strategic blueprints, forging products that transcend boundaries, enjoying global distribution, and bestowing lucrative returns upon his esteemed investors.

Reid's cinematic odyssey is an opulent tapestry, interwoven with masterpieces such as the compelling Kill the Irishman, the enlightening I Know that Voice, the spellbinding 7-10 Split aka Strike, and the riveting The Whiffler aka Screwball: The Ted Whitfield Story. Among these opuses, Danny Greene: The Rise and Fall of The Irishman, and the enthralling Superthief: Inside America's Biggest Bank Heist stand as monuments of his craft.

Yet, this mere glimpse into his repertoire merely scratches the surface. The continuum extends to encompass the enlightening We the People: The Market Basket Effect, the gripping Sugar Wars: The Rise of the Cleveland Mafia, the incisive Oliver Stone's Ukraine on Fire, and the inspiring Wrestled Away: The Lee Kemp Story. Moreover, Reid's visionary pipeline overflows with a treasure trove of intellectual property poised for production, setting the stage for a future aglow with even more cinematic marvels.

Reid's journey is a testament to his unwavering commitment, his innate storytelling prowess, and his relentless pursuit of excellence in the domains of cinema and production. As his star continues its ascension, there exists no shadow of doubt that he will carve his legacy even deeper into the annals of filmmaking greatness.

Proudly hailing from The Ohio State University, Reid is an alumnus whose heart beats for his alma mater, even as he roots for them from the West Coast. He currently resides in the picturesque embrace of Manhattan Beach, CA, alongside his cherished wife, Dawn, and their two radiant children, son Grayson and daughter Peyton.

Vera Brunner-Sung is an award-winning filmmaker who uses experimental, documentary, and narrative techniques to explore the relationship between place and identity. Her work has shown at numerous festivals, museums, and galleries in the U.S. and abroad, including Sundance, Rotterdam, MoMA PS1, Whitney Museum, Filmfest Hamburg, Torino, San Francisco International Film Festival, Ann Arbor, CPH:DOX, Hamptons, Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, and the San Diego Asian Film Festival. Her 2020 film Character is distributed online via The New Yorker Documentary and is a Vimeo Staff Pick. Brunner-Sung has programmed for the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and written for publications including Cinema Scope, Millennium Film Journal, and Sight & Sound; her chapter on site-specific art in documentary film appears in Documenting the Visual Arts (Routledge, 2019). She is a 2022 Sundance Institute Asian American Fellow, 2020 Sundance Institute FilmTwo Fellow, and 2015 Center for Asian American Media Fellow.

Lisa Duerk '81 is a central Ohio native and graduated from Ohio State with a degree in Political Science in 1981. After graduation, she lived along the East Coast before settling in the Portland, Oregon area in 1987. She has been married to Barry for 42 years and they raised two daughters, Megan and Nina, who are both Buckeye alumni. Duerk recently retired after 39 years with State Farm Insurance.

While balancing family and work, Duerk has been an active volunteer in her local community and in our Ohio State community. She has served on her city’s strategic planning and salary review committees, as President of the Evergreen School District, and on the Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Society Board – where she is completing her final year as Past President.

The Arts and Sciences Alumni Society engages alumni and empowers them to support current students in their successful transition to being Buckeyes for Life. Members represent a variety of Arts and Sciences academic areas and serve as advocates for the University, College, and Alumni Association. The Alumni Film Screening is one of their signature Homecoming events, in addition to the ASC Match-Mentor program and ASC Tailgate. 

Duerk looks forward to spending more time with family and friends and enjoying hobbies (traveling, golfing, and reading) after stepping off the Alumni Society Board in June.

Dave Filipi has been with the Wexner Center's film/video department since 1994 and head since 2010.

He has organized hundreds of film events at the center, including retrospectives of and visits by such filmmakers as Richard Linklater, Milos Forman, Lucrecia Martel, Marie Losier, Pedro Costa, Philip Kaufman, Claire Denis, Olivier Assayas, Charles Burnett, Natalia Almada, Frederick Wiseman, Penelope Spheeris, Julie Dash, Catherine Breillat, Harry Belafonte, and dozens of other established and emerging filmmakers.

Beginning in 2004, his archival “Rare Baseball Films” program has been presented at the center and numerous venues across the country including New York’s Film Forum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Filipi has overseen residency projects by Guy Maddin, Art Spiegelman, the Quay Brothers, John Canemaker, and Bill Morrison. He organized the publication of Paulo Emílio Salles Gomes: On Brazil and Global Cinema (2018, edited by Stephanie Dennison and Maite Conde) the first English-language collection of the influential Brazilian critic’s work. Since 2015, he has curated the center’s annual Cinema Revival: A Festival of Film Restoration. In 2019, he organized the 11-city touring retrospective Julia Reichert: 50 Years in Film which surveyed the career of the Academy Award-winning director (along with Steve Bognar) of American Factory, and traveled to such venues as the Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, the Speed Art Museum, and more.

A member of Ohio State’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum advisory board, in 2008 he co-curated Jeff Smith: Bone and Beyond, the first exhibition devoted to the influential comic book artist, at the center. He regularly serves on panels and juries for arts and funding organizations.

Kevin McClatchy '12 joined the Acting and Directing area faculty in 2013. He oversees the acting curriculum in the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts. McClatchy has been a working actor for nearly thirty years in theatre, film and television. He was also the director of the Shakespeare and Autism Project—a collaboration with the Ohio State Nisonger Center, and is the lead facilitator of the Shakespeare & Veterans Initiative, a collaborative partnership with the Columbus VA. 

McClatchy's recent acting credits include The Tempest at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the films Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and Old Man and the Gun as well as episodes of WGN's Outsiders and NBC/Universal's Gone.

His research interests include acting technique, the use of Laban Movement Analysis for film and television acting, creating new work through civic engagement, and Irish theatre. McClatchy is a member of Actors' Equity Association, SAG/AFTRA and the Voice and Speech Trainer Association. 

E.J. Westlake is the author of Our Land is Made of Courage and Glory: Nationalist Performance in Nicaragua and Guatemala, World Theatre: The Basics, and co-editor of Political Performances: Theory and Practice. She is working on a book-length study and new translation of El Güegüence, the national dance drama of Nicaragua, due out on Southern Illinois University Press in 2022. Westlake's articles have appeared in Theatre Annual, Latin American Theatre Review, TDR, and Youth Theatre Journal, on everything from theatre history pedagogy to the performance of the self on Facebook.

Chapters have appeared in numerous books, most notably in Sporting Performances (2020), Theatre, Performance, and Change (2017), Theatre Historiography: Critical Questions (2010), and the Oxford Handbook on Dance and Theatre (2015). Westlake was recently the editor of Theatre Journal and Treasurer of the American Society of Theatre Research. Westlake was a Fulbright grantee for the 2011-12 year and has twice received the American Society for Theatre Research Fellowship.

Before coming to academia, Westlake cofounded and managed Stark Raving Theatre in Portland, Oregon. She worked in Portland as a director and playwright and won the Oregon Book Award in 1992 for her play A.E.: The Disappearance and Death of Amelia Earhart. She continues to write and adapt plays, including plays for young performers.

Westlake hails from the Birthplace of Aviation, Dayton, Ohio, where she attended the Colonel White High School for the Performing Arts. She was a loyal Reds fan until her loyalties followed Sparky Anderson to the Detroit Tigers. She enjoys attending parades, festivals, memorials, baseball games, and other performative events. She has also (very slowly) finished several marathons, orienteering races, and triathlons.